September 19, 2021
Evening Service

There is a lot that can be said about a name. Merriam-Webster defines name as this: a word or phrase that refers to or that can refer to a specific person, a specific place or thing, or a type or group of things; a name can be used for identity, character, authority, reputation, or in the sense of a family or clan; as a verb it means to appoint, to choose, to specify, or to call; as an adjective it is used as a name tag, for example the works of Shakespeare, reputation as a good or bad name, or for branding or endorsements. So the word “name” is used for many things, but the simplest definition that works as a catch-all is to identify. We all have a name that was chosen by our parents and used to identify each of their children. The naming of something implies specificity and helps to make all of us understand what the subject is in particular. Names are important and can add to or take away from our character, if you are a boy named Sue, you can imagine the trouble affiliated with this name. If you however are named Princess Diana, this name has a connotation that royalty as observed by humans is part of the heritage. If a person has the name MoonPie, it makes you wonder what in the world were those parents thinking, or more to the point, not thinking when they chose the name. The point is that whatever the name of a person, place, or thing is, there is a distinction that goes with it and it carries attributes in association. Now you may be wondering, what in the world does any of this have to do with a message of God’s Holy Word? And why devote time to a message about a Name?

In the bible, many names are found and most of them have meanings related to the name. For example Jacob means supplanter (supersede or replace) or deceiver and we know the story of Jacob and Esau, how the birthright he manipulated his older brother to sell him and from his father Isaac by deception of being Esau. Later on in this story, Jacob’s name is changed to Israel by God and this means you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed. God later blessed Jacob and said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." The blessings from God were to be nations and kings to come from him and the lands given to Abraham and Isaac, God gave to him and his descendants. Other examples are found in the bible of name changes to represent different periods of life change, in places and in people. But we are going to focus on the One name in the bible above all other names and His name is Jesus.

Jesus is the name for the Virgin Mary’s child she was carrying in her womb, given to Joseph by an angel in a dream. The Holy Spirit is the actual Father of Jesus.

Matthew 1:20  But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 

Matthew 1:21  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

This plan of conception by the Holy Spirit in Mary is the reason we are alive in Christ today! Now the name Christ is not originally a name but a title derived from the Greek word Christos, which translates the Hebrew term meshiah (Messiah) meaning “the anointed one”. This was the plan of God the Father to redeem his creation (us) from our sins. Without our Lord Jesus coming to earth in the form of a man and living a sinless life, to shed His blood and die in our place on the cross, we would die in our sins! We could not be redeemed by any works from our hands. Jesus then rose from the tomb on the third day and was resurrected to be our Lord and Savior. As far as names go, there is no other name greater than the name of Jesus! A lame man who was carried to and sat at the gate of the temple called “Beautiful” to ask alms from those who entered. He saw Peter and John approaching and the man asked Peter and John for alms

Acts 3:6  Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 

Peter took him by his right hand and immediately he had strength in his bones and ankles and stood, then leaped, and walked into to the temple with them praising God! This man was over 40 years old who had been healed and he was lame from his birth. Now this next verse is referring to that act of healing from Peter, in Jesus’ Name.

Acts 4:10  let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 

Peter then tells them the stone which they rejected has now become the chief cornerstone, meaning Jesus the Messiah

Acts 4:12  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 

The name of Jesus is Holy and has power, it is to be honored and not spoken of lightly. We are given a command in the third commandment:

Exodus 20:7  "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Now this commandment is a serious commandment and lots of times, people say our Lord’s name in vain and do it rather as a matter of thoughtless talk. But when we look in the bible for the truth in the seriousness of this breaking of the commandment, we find it to be written as this:

Leviticus 24:16  And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the LORD, he shall be put to death. 

This verse explains how serious it is to God for us as believers in His Son Jesus to obey this command. In today’s world, people use the name of our Lord as a curse word, as a form of showing disgust, as an adjective to flower up a conversation, as an acronym in texting, and a myriad of other ways that are breaching this command. To take His name in vain is to use it with no good purpose or intention. To use it without regard of whom God is and what He is to us and for us. We as believers are not to use God’s name carelessly, wickedly, or for wrong purposes. It plainly means to not misuse the name of our God! So other than just speaking God’s name when we are not in prayer or discussion about our faith, how do we transgress this command. We need to look at the bible to see how the scriptures lead us through the Holy Spirit to gather the understanding of what makes God’s name hallowed. When Moses was at the burning bush and received the Angel of the Lord’s commission to deliver the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, he asked God what name he should say when they ask him, “What is His name?

Exodus 3:14  And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " 

His name speaks to the sum of his being, righteousness, and image. Another example of God’s name being illustrated as a physical demonstration of His image for Moses is when Moses said to God.....

Exodus 33:18  And he said, "Please, show me Your glory." 

So the Lord tells Moses I can’t be seen, but I’ll proclaim my name and that will be my glory passing by.

Exodus 33:19  Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." 

Our names matter, it is a designation of who we are. Not a one of us delight when someone pokes fun of our name, we may not be frustrated by it, but we certainly do not enjoy it. In scripture, the name of the Lord is exalted in the highest possible terms. It should be revered in the most respectful and honorable ways we know how. The Lord’s Prayer given by Jesus to the disciples starts with, “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed by Your Name”, this shows Our Father is Sacred and Holy even to Jesus. If God’s Son shows this honor, it’s obvious we should also.

Proverbs 22:1  A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

The bible tells of lots of ways we transgress the 3^rd commandment, we should not use God’s name in service of something that is not true. If you take an oath in court to tell the truth so help you God, then tell the truth. Jesus said not to swear on anything, but to let your yes be yes and your no be no. If you do take an oath on anything, the oath is to be honored or you should not have taken an oath to begin with. To use God’s name to advance our own agenda is a transgression of the 3^rd commandment. Some Christians say, “The Lord told me to do this.” Or worse, they say, “The Lord told me to tell you to do this.” God has already said whatever he needs to say to us in his Word. Of course, there is also an inward leading of the Holy Spirit. But this is an inward leading, it should be stated as I was lead by the Spirit and not told by God. When you say, “This is what God has said”—or, in order to make things more personal, “Here’s a special word that Jesus has for you today”—and that word is not from Scripture, or supersedes or is in addition to Scripture, you’re ascribing the name of God to your own words, plans, and ideas when it does not belong there. Another way to break the 3^rd commandment is to use the Lord’s name light-mindedly or frivolous. Don’t speak jokes using God’s name as the punch-line, this is an example of being in vain. God’s name is to be set apart from all other names and we are to use it in His Honor and Holiness. A minister some years ago was seated in front of two men casually throwing out God’s name, and hell, and damnation repeatedly in their conversation. The pastor finally had heard enough and he turned around and said, “Are you two in the ministry?” They said, “No, of course not.” He said, “Well, I’m a pastor, and I’ve heard you say, ‘Jesus Christ’, ‘damn’, and ‘hell’ in the past two sentences. I can’t get all of that into one sermon!” This statement did arrest some of the cursing, but not so sure it would have the same affect today. We can also break the 3^rd commandment by not living as we say we do and believe. If we say we are a Christian and we were baptized in the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit, but our lives do not reflect this, we break the command. To say to another we are believers in Jesus Christ and then our actions look different than what Jesus taught, our beliefs are phony and not worth speaking outwardly. This is the hypocrite Jesus spoke of many times in the book of Matthew, speaking and acting one way, but the heart is going the opposite way. The true acknowledgment is that we are sinners saved by the Grace of Jesus and our Father in Heaven. We fall very short of the mark of Holiness, but our Lord loves us despite of our wickedness. When we sin, we confess it to the Lord, ask for forgiveness and do our best to not repeat the transgression. We are weak in the flesh, but the Spirit is Strong! Here are a few other scriptures about the name of our Lord, worthy of hiding in your heart to keep you from sinning against God. Speaking of Jesus.....

Psalms 79:9  Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name's sake!

Philippians 2:9  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 

Philippians 2:10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 

Philippians 2:11  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Acts 2:38  Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

John 10:3  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 

Luke 10:20  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." 

James 5:14  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 

In the book of Revelation, Jesus said:

Revelation 3:12  He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. 

Father, please help us in the flesh to imitate the walk of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Help us to understand the Holiness of Your Name and to revere it with all our heart, mind, and soul! Let us not transgress Your commands. In Jesus name we pray!- Amen